The sounds of a ball hitting leather, and the crack of the bat, signaled the summer season had begun all across the state and it meant finally a return to high school sports. It was a welcome change for all of the student-athletes. The Cowgirls were able to taste victory in their second game of the schedule at Rockford last Tuesday, defeating the Warriors 13-8 to give coach Chace Pruismann his first win as well. The Cowgirls scored four times in the first, only to have Rockford tie it up after three complete innings. They pulled away from there, scoring two in the fifth, three in the sixth and finally four in the seventh to take the road win.
Several ladies contributed offensively, with Kendall Lienemann swinging the biggest stick in going 3 for 5 with two RBI and three runs scored. Clarissa Hasty, Brooke Askelsen and Emma Schluttenhofer all had two hits each, with Hasty’s a two-bagger. Askelsen drove in three runs, with Schluttenhofer, Hasty and Quinn Hansch all getting two RBI apiece. Hansch, Remi Johnson, Paige Willey and Kelsey Dow all reached on singles, with Hasty, Askelsen and Schluttenhofer crossing the dish twice each. Hansch, Courtney Harle, McKenna Hasty and Dow and scored one each.
Johnson, Willey and Alaina Friesleben all drew two free passes to first each. Lienemann had five steals, Dow three. C. Hasty two and Willey, Askelsen and M. Hasty all one each. Friesleben took the win in the circle, going the distance and allowed just four earned runs on nine hits with three walks and two strikeouts.
“We started off very hot,” stated Pruismann. “The girls really left the previous loss behind them and refocused on our mission. Both offensively and defensively, we took care of our individual jobs and worked very well together.”
Prior to that game, they lost the opener at Algona 12-0 on Monday night. Hansch got the only hit for the red & black, with Friesleben allowing eight earned on four hits with one strikeout. Askelsen pitched in relief, giving up no earned runs on one hit with one strikeout.
“We had a long inning that we played very consistently,” said the coach. “We are starting to get things together as a team and working well with each other.”
They opened their home schedule on Wednesday in hosting Hampton-Dumont-CAL. Unfortunately, it didn’t go well for the ladies as the Bulldogs took home an 8-2 win. The only Cowgirl hits were singles by Lienemann and Willey, with Paige driving in both runs. Johnson drew a walk to also put one more on base. Lienemann grabbed two steals, with Harle and Johnson at one each.
Friesleben worked for four innings, allowing eight earned on 10 hits with two walks issued and one strikeout. Askelsen came in for two frames, allowing no earned on two hits with a walk.
“We struggled offensively to get the ball in the field in this one,” said the skipper. “The Bulldogs plain and simply laid the ball up where we were not. We got the bats going in the bottom of the seventh, but just ran out of time.”
The team goes to St. Edmond this Wednesday, then travels to Clear Lake on Friday.
